He is trying to recover from alcoholism by going to a facility for rehabilitation. Here he meets a woman who claims to also be recovering from alcoholism. He thinks this is an opportunity to build a strong support system to help him through his battles of alcoholism. In reality the woman is an undercover RCMP officer.

This all sounds like it is coming out of a movie. However, since 1991, the RCMP has been using techniques such as these in an undercover operation called the Mr. Big sting. It is a highly controversial and dangerous technique with the potential to result in false confessions and wrongful convictions.

This technique has been banned in the United States and the United Kingdom, as it is considered to be entrapment and an infringement of constitutional rights. Despite this, the Supreme Court of Canada continues to rule in favor of it.

In all of these cases, the individual has been a suspect in an ongoing investigation. However, there is not enough evidence to convict the suspect, so the RCMP begins a Mr. Big Sting. The undercover RCMP officer initiates contact with the target with the intention of luring them into a fabricated criminal organization. The purpose is to extract a confession, at all costs, in order to close the case.

It is the norm for the undercover officers to use alcohol and strippers to seduce their target into joining their criminal organization. Other tactics include the use of expensive cars, high profile flights and hotels, as well as trips to events such as hockey games. The RCMP uses these tactics to show the promises of financial gain, power and respect within the organization.

The goal is for the target to eventually become part of the criminal organization. The police socialize the target into a life of crime by encouraging and promoting criminal activity. Other democratic countries refer to these actions as entrapment.

Once the target has joined the organization they are consistently reminded of how trust is essential within the operation, and that lies will never be tolerated; especially by the crime boss, “Mr. Big.” The undercover actors continue to portray the authority and authenticity of the organization by spending large amounts of tax payer dollars to create extraordinary situations such as bogus kidnappings, assaults, drug deals, stolen property deals, and even staged murders. The RCMP stimulates a real-world criminal environment, making it nearly impossible for the target of the organization to differentiate this fantasy from reality.

The sting often goes on for many months, even years. Throughout it, the target is made to believe that they have the opportunity to be successful in the criminal organization, but only if they confirm their loyalty by confessing to their non-existent criminal past.

The finale of the operation is when the target meets “Mr. Big.” This meeting takes place in the penthouse of a very luxurious hotel, flaunting the material benefits of the operation. The RCMP traps the target by making the meeting in a location in a city far from the target’s home, preventing them from being able to leave whenever they wish.

At this meeting Mr. Big asks the target about his or her criminal past, hoping that they will voluntarily confess to the crime. However, if the target does not confess right away Mr. Big starts to coerce a confession through fictitious police reports and manufactured evidence pointing to their guilt. Mr. Big further coerces a confession by promising that his organization will take care of the legal problem and keep them from a life sentence, under the condition that they confess to the crime.

The result of these meetings is almost always that the target falsely confesses due to promises of wealth, as well as threats of arrest for a crime they did not commit. However, regardless of the outcome, the degree of coercion, intimidation, fear and intrusion is unprecedented. Being targeted by one of these stings is sure to be life altering, particularly since it has the potential of leading to wrongful convictions.

Many innocent people have been targeted by these stings, such as Kyle Unger who was recently acquitted in 2009 after spending 14 years in prison. Another example is Clayton George Mentuck who, after falsely confessing due to a Mr. Big sting, spent 2 years in prison before being acquitted.

Rubin Hurricane Carter of the Toronto-based Innocence International says that he doesn’t doubt that stings have caught real criminals, however the price for the tactic is just too high to allow it to continue.

Your anonymous comment may be printed in The Ontarion's print publication.